Oil well drilling apparatus



Jan. 10, 1956 c. F. BALL. 2,730,330

OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Jan. l0, 1956 2,730,330

C. F. BALL OIL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 25. 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 |11 III llLllll lll ll domzeg.

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nited States Patent C @IL WELL DRILLING APPARATUS Charles. F, Ball, Franklin, Pa., assigner to` Joy Manufac turing Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 2S, 1950, Serial No. 181,408

6 Claims.v (Cl. Z55-19) This invention relates to drillingI apparatus andmore particularly to feeding and rotating mechanism for the drill rod line of a rotary oil well drilling apparatus.

In conventional rotary oil well drilling. apparatus, and especially in a drilling apparatus of the mobile type, the rotating and feeding mechanism is usually located at one overhanging end of amobile base, so that the desired balance of the unit is lacking. Also, the drill rod line is usually fed by vertical hydraulic cylinders located at the sides of the `rotary soithat not onlyis the desiredl balance lacking, but also the feeding and rotatingl mechanism, due to its location and relative inaccessibility, interferes with the proper setting of casing. The present invention contemplatesimprovements over known -types of rotary oil well drilling apparatus inthat the .center of gravity is located nearer the center of the mobile base resulting in better weight distributionA and balance, and the rotating and feeding mechanism provides for ready accessibility during setting of casing. The, apparatusof the present invention is simple and rugged, and is comparatively compact and eiicient in operation, well adaptedfor its in.- tended purpose.

An object of the present invent-ion isto provide an` improved oil welldrilling apparatus. Another-object is to provide Van improved rotarydrilling apparatus having.

improved rotatingl and feeding mechanism for, the drill rod line. A further object isto providewanjmprovcd feeding mechanism whichl is .relatively ,.sirriple, rugged; and compact in design. A still further object is to provide.v an improved oil well drilling apparatus wherein the rotating, mechanism for the drill rodline is `guided for. vertical movement with respect to Vthe base, andalevei; mechanism is connected to `the rotating mechanimvand isop. erated by hydraulic cylindersfor moving the rotating mechanism vertically along. itsy guideways during theteed. ing operation. Yet anothenobject-is to provide, an irnproved feeding mechanisrnior a rotarvdrilling. apparatus whereby the concentration of relatively. great weight at one end ot the base-platform ,is substantiallyavoded. A still further object is to, provide an improved drill rotating mechanism vwhich may bevreadily assembled and dismantled. These and other objects and advantagesof the invention will,v however, hereinafter more ful-ly. appear.

in the accompanying drawingsrthere. is .shown forpurposes of illustration one form `whichthe. inventionL may assume in practice.

in these drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary/ side elevational vieu/.oa rotary oil welldrilling apparatus of the mobiletype-.with which an illustrative formof theinventio-n is associated, with parts shown in section to illustrate structural details.`

Fig..2 is an end elevational .view'of the` drilling-appara-- tus shown iny Fig, l, with parts broken ,awayto facilitate illustration.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontal section-taken;- on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4l is an enlarged.vertical-tsectiontalrenony line.

Patented J an, o 1 0 1 956 ICE 2. 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing details-of the rotating mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section taken on line .5 5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the hydraulic Huid system.

In this illustrative construction, asshown in the drawings, the drilling apparatus generally comprises a mobile base l, herein in the form of an automotive vehicle, having a platform 2 and mounted on rubber-tired wheels 3. Mounted on the base-platform is a drill frame 4 which carries the improved feeding and rotating mechanism generally designated 5. A conventional hoisting mechanisrn is generally designated `6 and a conventional mud pump isgenerally designated7, and both the hoisting mechanism and thepumpmay be` suitably driven from the engine of the automotive vehicle.

Carried by the rearward portion of the base platform 2 are parallel vertical guides 9 which are laterally reinforcedivby a bottom cross frame 10 and a generally U- shaped upper frame 1l. Slidable vertically along and extending between these guides is a horizontal cross frame or sliding cross head l2,having lateral guide portions 13 slidingly engaging the vertical guides 9. Journaled in bearings 14 carried bythe sliding cross frame l2 is a rotary 15 which comprises a drive sleeve or bushing i6, and secured, as by a key 17, to the drive sleeve is a large bevelgeari. Meshing with and driving this bevel gear is a bevel pinion i9 secured to a longitudinal shaft 20 suitablyjournaled in bearings 2l likewise carried within the sliding frame l2. The shaft Ztl is suitably driven from the engine of the automotive vehicle through a conventional selective transmission mechanism 22 carried by theforward `portion ofthe drill fratriev 4. and the terminal element of this transmission mechanism is connected through a, universal, telescopic, drive shaft 23 to the shaft 2t) so tliatthe drive bushing 16 may be driven irrespective of the verticalposition of the sliding frame along the vertical guides. The U-shaped upper'frame il is so formed thatwhen the universal shafting 23 is disconnected from arcoupling element (Fig. 4) on the shaft Ztl, the rotating mechanism may be lifted bodily upwardly from the vertical guides 9, as later described, to provide accessibility `for the setting of casing,.in a well-known manner. Secured to the top of the drive bushing 16 is a plate 26 having an upstanding, threaded, tubularv portion 27 to which a casing 28 of an automatic chuck 29 is secured. This chuck may be generally like that disclosed in the copendingiC. F. Ball and E. M. Luce application, Serial. No. 24,946-, tiled May 4, 1948, now matured into Patent No. 2,638,324, dated May l2,v 1953, owned by applicants assignee. This chuck has oppositely acting, wedgeliire chuck jaws 30 and 31 suitably guided within the chuclf.

casing andwhich mayjbeseiectively positioned by a con-l trol member 32 to engage and grip a conventional kelly 33 which is attached to-tne. upper end of the drill rod line.

The chuck jaws may be positioned and are yieldngiy held by coil springs 34 in contact with the kelly so that when the slidingframe i2 is moved in one direction along its vertical. guides certain of the. jaws will automatically grip the kelly, and when the sliding frame is moved along itsguides in the opposite direction, the gripping engagement ofthejaws witlrhe kelly is automatically reieasetl.

As is also disclosed in the C. F. Ball and E. M. Luce application above` referred to carried at the tcp of therotatable chuck casing 28 and rotatable therewith is a` `tubulardriver 3S through which the kelly extends and carrying'keys 36 which are engaged in keyways 37 extending, longitudinally of the kelly, so that when the chuck casing .is rotated by the. rotaryy 15 ,theA kelly may be rotated therewith` through-the driver. As is usual in rotary oilwellfdrills, thecablefofv'the.hoistingmechanism 6 is connectable to a conventional lifting bail and fluid swivel (not shown) attached to the upper end of the kelly so that, if desired, the rod line may be raised and lowered by the cable of the hoisting mechanism and drilling fluid may be pumped by the mud pump 7 through the swivel down through the tubular rod line, all in manners well-known to those skilled in the art.

The improved means for moving the sliding frame 12 vertically along the guides 9 to effect feeding of the kelly and rod line, comprises a pair of hydraulic cylinders 40 pivotally connected at 41 at their lower ends to lugs 42 integral with across rod 43 suitably secured to the upright sides of the drill frame 4. Reciprocable in these cylinders are pistons 44 having their piston rods 45 extending outwardly and rearwardly from the cylinders and pivotally connected at 46 to the forward ends of a pair of levers 47 which may assume the form of bell cranks and which extend longitudinally along the inner sides of the vertical sides of the drill frame. These levers are desirably pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on a cross rod 48 likewise suitably secured to the vertical sides of the drill frame and are swingable in vertical planes about their pivots. The rearward ends of these levers are pivotally connected at 49 to links 50 which are in turn pivotally connected at 51 to lugs 52 integral with the lower portion of the sliding frame 12. The links 50 may be readily detached from the casing of the rotating mechanism to permit removal of the latter from the vertical guides. The pivots for the levers are located inwardly toward the center of gravity of the base from the rear end of the base thereby to reduce the concentration of relatively great weight at the rear end of the platform of the base thereby to provide for better load distribution and balance. The levers extend rearwardly above the bottom cross frame between the vertical guides 9, as shown in Fig. 2.

As shown diagrammatically in Fig. 6, a motor driven pump 55 has its suction side connected by a conduit 56 to a reservoir or tank 57 which contains a suitable liquid such as a light oil. The discharge side of the pump is connected by a conduit 5S to the usual pressure passage of a valve box 59 of a conventional control valve mechanism. The usual discharge passage of the valve box is connected by a return conduit 60 back to the tank. Contained in the bore of the valve box is a conventional control valve 61 provided with a usual operating handle, and the valve-receiving bore is connected by conduits 62 and 63 to the opposite ends of the fluid cylinders 40 of the drill feeding mechanism. The valve 61 may be positioned to connect one of the conduits 62, 63 to supply while the other conduit is connected to exhaust thereby to feed the sliding frame along its guides, and when the valve is in its centrally located position fluid may be trapped in the fluid cylinders to hold the sliding frame 12 against movement along its vertical guides.

The drill rod line may be rotated from the selective transmission mechanism 22 through the universal telescopic drive shaft 23, the bevel gearing 19, 18, the rotary drive sleeve 16, the chuck casing 28 and the keys 36 of the driver 35'. When the chuck jaws of the chuck are properly positioned and fluid under pressure is supplied to the fluid cylinders 4t) through the conduit 62, under the control of the valve 61, the levers 47 may be swung about their pivots to move the sliding frame and chuck in a downward direction, and as the chuck moves downwardly the jaws 39 automatically grip the kelly 33 to feed the drill rod line in a downward direction. When the valve 61 is moved to its opposite position in the bore of the valve box uid under pressure may be supplied to the cylinders 4t) through the conduit 63, under the control of the valve, to move the sliding frame and chuck upwardly, and as the chuck moves upwardly the jaws 30 are automatically released from the kelly. The control member 32 may be manipulated to position the chuck jaws 31 so that the kelly may be gripped upon upward movement of the chuck and the gripping engagement of the jaws 31 may be automatically released from the kelly upon downward movement of the chuck. When the chuck jaws are released from the kelly the drill rod line may be held in a conventional manner, as by a clamp, against downward movement in the well bore. When the kelly is gripped by the chuck to effect movement of the drill rod line the .Y kelly 33 may be rotated through the keys 36 of the driver fluid cylinders and arranged in the manner disclosed an improved feed is provided which is well balanced on the base of the apparatus, thereby reducing the concentration of relatively great weight at the rear end of the base platform. The novel lever arrangement is relatively compact, provides a relatively long range of feed without the use of relatively long feed cylinders, and is simple and rugged in design. Upon release of the levers from the casing of the rotary, the latter may be readily removed vertically from the guides. By the novel structure disclosed the rotating mechanism may be readily lifted from its vertical guides, to obtain accessibility for the setting of casing. These and other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising a base, means on said base providing a vertical guideway, a frame guide for movement vertically along said guideway, power operated drill rotation mechanism carried by said frame and movable vertically therewith, and means for moving said frame downwardly along said guideway to effect drill feed and for retracting said frame comprising a rigid, elongated lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on said base with its pivot spaced a substantial distance longitudinally of said base from said guideway-providing means, said lever extending longitudinally of said base, and operative connections between said frame and one end of said lever in adjacency to said rotation mechanism, a fluid motor comprising relatively reciprocable cylinder and piston elements and pivotally mounted on said base and operatively connected to the opposite end of said lever, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said motor to effect swinging of said lever in either direction in vertical planes about its pivot to move said frame together with said rotation mechanism in either direction along said vertical guideway, said lever pivot disposed substantially nearer to said opposite end of said lever than to said one end whereby a relatively short stroke of the reciprocable element of said motor may effect a wide arcuate sweep of said one end of said lever to move said frame through a relatively long distance of travel along said guideway.

2. A drilling apparatus as set forth in claim l wherein said operative connections between said one end of said rigid lever and said vertically guided frame includes a link pivotally connected to said lever and to said frame and which provides sufficient flexibility to compensate for the arcuate movement of said one end of said lever relative to said guideway as said frame moves along a vertical path.

3. A drilling apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said frame is disposed in relatively low position on said base when said Arotation mechanism is lowered and the lever pivot is disposed in a relatively high xed position on said base so that said lever extends downwardly at a substantial angle when in lowered position, and said lever when said rotation mechanism is in raised position inclines upwardly with said end disposed at the top of said base.

4. A drilling apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said operative connections between said one end of said rigid lever and said frame includes a link pivotally connected to said lever and to said frame and which provides suicient iiexi'oility to compensate for the arcuate movement of said end of said lever relative to said guideway as said frame moves along a vertical path, said link pivotally connected at its lower end to said lever and at its upper end to said frame and disposed in a substantially vertical position when said rotation mechanism is in said lowered position.

5. ln a drilling apparatus, the combination comprising a base, means on said base providing a vertical guideway, a frame guided for movement along said guideway, drill rotation mechanism .carried by said frame and movable vertically therewith along said guideway, said frame disposed in a relatively low position on said base when said rotation mechanism is in lowered position on said guideway, a prime mover on said base, an adjustable driving connection between said prime mover and said rotation mechanism for rotating the latter, said driving connection extending centrally lengthwise of said base, parallel rigid, elongated levers pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on said base, operative connections between the outer ends of said levers and said frame, said levers extending longitudinally along the opposite sides of and spaced equidistantly from said driving connection, fluid cylinders pivotally mounted on said base and spaced from the inner ends of said levers and containing reciprocable pistons operatively connected to said parallel levers at one side of the lever pivots, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to said cylinders to effect swinging of said levers in unison about their pivots to move said frame together with said rotation mechanism along said vertical guideway, the pivots of said levers being disposed in a relatively high position on said base so that said levers extend downwardly when said rotation mechanism is in lowered position along said guideway, said operative connections between said levers and said frame comprising pivoted links pivotally connected at their lower ends to said levers for flexibly connecting the outer ends of said levers with said frame, said links pivotally connected at their upper ends to said frame and extending upwardly when said frame is in lowered position.

6. A drilling apparatus' as set forth in claim 5 wherein detachable connections are provided between said links and said frame to permit disconnection of the latter from said levers.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,602,375 Gibson Oct. 5, 1926 1,628,282 Sheldon May l0, 1927 2,169,678 Caldwell Aug. 15, 1939 2,229,912 Baily Jan. 28, 1941 2,415,205 Gattin Feb. 4, 1947 2,578,033 Austin et al Dec. 11, 1951 

5. IN A DRILLING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A BASE, MEANS ON SAID BASE PROVIDING A VERTICAL GUIDEWAY, A FRAME GUIDED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, DRILL ROTATION MECHANISM CARRIED BY SAID FRAME AND MOVABLE VERTICALLY THEREWITH ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID FRAME DISPOSED IN A RELATIVELY LOW POSITION ON SAID BASE WHEN SAID ROTATION MECHANISM IS IN LOWERED POSITION ON SAID GUIDEWAY, A PRIME MOVER ON SAID BASE, AN ADJUSTABLE DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID PRIME MOVER AND SAID ROTATION MECHANISM FOR ROTATING THE LATTER, SAID DRIVING CONNECTION EXTENDING CENTRALLY LENGTHWISE OF SAID BASE, PARALLEL RIGID, ELONGATED LEVERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS ON SAID BASE, OPERATIVE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID LEVERS AND SAID FRAME, SAID LEVERS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF AND SPACED EQUIDISTANTLY FROM SAID DRIVING CONNECTION, FLUID CYLINDERS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BASE AND SPACED FROM THE INNER ENDS OF SAID LEVERS AND CONTAINING RECIPROCABLE PISTONS OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID PARALLEL LEVERS AT ONE SIDE OF THE LEVER PIVOTS, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING FLUID UNDER PRESSURE SAID CYLINDERS TO EFFECT SWINGING OF SAID LEVERS IN UNISON ABOUT THEIR PIVOTS TO MOVE SAID FRAME TOGETHER WITH SAID ROTATION MECHANISM ALONG SAID VERTICAL GUIDEWAY, THE PIVOTS OF SAID LEVERS BEING DISPOSED IN A RELATIVELY HIGH POSITION ON SAID BASE SO THAT SAID LEVERS EXTEND DOWNWARDLY WHEN SAID ROTATION MECHANISM IS IN LOWERED POSITION ALONG SAID GUIDEWAY, SAID OPERATIVE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID LEVERS AND SAID FRAME COMPRISING PIVOTED LINKS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THEIR LOWER ENDS TO SAID LEVERS FOR FLEXIBLY CONNECTING THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID LEVERS WITH SAID FRAME, SAID LINKS PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT THEIR UPPER ENDS TO SAID FRAME AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY WHEN SAID FRAME IS IN LOWERED POSITION. 